Swiss Bühler Group and Premier Tech from Canada have agreed on a strategic cooperation for industrial flexible packaging solutions and announced to build a design and manufacturing centre in China
“Combining the portfolio and expertise of Premier Tech and Bühler will enable future packaging solutions which are significantly more efficient, accurate and food-safe by using automation technologies,” said Johannes Wick, CEO of Bühler’s grains and food business.
“The two companies are complementing each other in a perfect way with Bühler’s strong footprint and market position in China and Premier Tech’s recognized know-how in the field of automated packaging technologies,” said André Noreau, CEO of Premier Tech’s Systems and Automation business.
In the grain processing, packaging is the last step before transporting flour to bakeries and other food processors, rice to distributors or pellets to farms. In many cases – especially in developing countries – the bagging operation is still done manually. This is inefficient, costly and slow as well as implies a certain variation of weight and therefore a higher give away of the packaged goods. Palletising solutions are increasingly important to allow for efficient warehousing solutions.
Bühler brings its know-how of high-quality manufacturing and supply chain management in China as well as its digital solutions, whereas Premier Tech contributes with its superior packaging expertise and technological leadership in this field. In bringing these competencies together, the strategic cooperation will develop automated, food-safe and accurate bagging and palletising solutions.
The strategic cooperation is expected to allow Bühler to provide better turnkey projects with competitive packaging solutions from China while continuing to deliver high-end products such as Bühler’s bagging station Maia from its own manufacturing network in Europe.
With the partnership, Bühler is set to further improve its digital services allowing for full transparency and traceability along the entire value chain. Premier Tech aims to gain better access to the Chinese market by using the cost-effective and modern packaging solutions arising from the strategic cooperation or by combining them to its internationally renowned CHRONOS technology portfolio in weighing, bagging and palletising.
This strategic cooperation is planned to result in a joint venture for design and manufacturing during 2020, with Bühler focusing on sales of turnkey plants around the world and Premier Tech on packaging systems in China.
